


Set

by nobetterpicture



Series: Bump, Set, Spike [2]
Category: JYJ (Band)
Genre: Gen, Haikyuu!! AU, Volleyball AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 09:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2646959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterpicture/pseuds/nobetterpicture
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With two star players for noonas, Jaejoong's pretty much destined to play volleyball. But sometimes, he thinks that he was destined to meet and become best friends with Yoochun too, no matter how much fate likes to pull them apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Set

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man.
> 
> Okay, so this whole fic (this whole series) is the result of me becoming completely obsessed with Haikyuu!! The whole series wrote itself in my head and it won't go away.
> 
> So the way I'm writing it is around the three main characters (JYJ). "Bump", is Junsu's story. "Set" is Jaejoong's story, and "Spike" is Yoochun's story. There's definitely going to be overlap in the stories because it's become a huge universe in my head and I'm still not even sure if that's a good thing.
> 
> It's definitely a self indulgent fic so...I'm sorry if it ends up being waaaaaay too cheesy or wayyyyyy too out there ;_; There will be ships and other kpop people mentioned (I mean, I had to make teams, you don't even know how hard that was) so, hopefully you'll all enjoy this with me!

  
The first time Jaejoong touches a volleyball is when it hits him in the face at six years old.

He’s outside in the front yard of their house, splashing with a few toys in the inflatable pool his mother set up to help combat the heat. His noonas are a little separated from him, the three of them practicing together in the dirt yard before the heat gets to be too much. His mother sits in the shade next to him as she reads a magazine about cooking and doesn’t pay much attention to either of them.

The incident happens just as his imagination has gone wild. The pool is no longer a pool, but an epic adventure.

The wounded Mr. Dinosaur (who survived a run-in with their dog, Vick) is his main hero, traversing the wide ocean of the Other World, trying to find the sacred rubber ducky hidden in the muddy grass lands just ahead. His hands are pulling out the grass next to the pool to make said muddy grass lands when one of his noona’s suddenly calls out.

“Ah! Head’s up!”

The words confuse him at six years old, but he looks up from the grass anyway. The sun burns his eyes and all he sees is a strange object coming toward him.

‘Oh,’ He thinks, as it quickly approaches him, ‘That must be the aliens trying to stop Mr. Dinosaur.’

It’s the only thought he gets out before the ball smashes into his face and he blacks out.

*

When Jaejoong wakes up again, he’s in a strange room that he’s never seen before. The walls are white and there are light blue curtains around him...and his head hurts. 

He tucks himself deeper into the scratchy blanket that’s on top of him when he realizes that his parents and noonas are no where to be seen. Jaejoong’s alone and it scares him. He’s trying to to cry when there’s a movement in the corner in his eye. Quickly, he turns his head to check, but the curtains close. 

Regardless, Jaejoong can still see...something? A shadow? 

It scares him a little more, but he doesn’t want to be alone anymore. His mother always told him not to talk to strangers, that they were bad and he should stay away, but now he’s in a strange place and alone without his mother or noonas to help him. 

Jaejoong hates being alone.

“H-hello?”

The shadow moves and then the curtains shift again. Jaejoong pulls the blanket up to his eyes the same time two other brown eyes peek from behind the curtain. They stare at each other, simply blinking for a few seconds. 

“Hello?” Jaejoong tries again, voice muffled through his blanket.

“....H...Hi.” Replies a soft voice, a little raspy. The eyes look back and forth before the voice includes. “I’m Park Yoochun.” 

“Park Yoochun…,” Jaejoong replies, lowering his blanket to his nose. “I’m Kim Jaejoong. I’m six years old. How old are you?” 

“I’m five years old...but my birthday is soon.” Yoochun’s nose peeks out from behind the curtain as well. “Mommy says that I might be well enough to go out for my birthday.”

“Well enough?” Jaejoong drops the blanket completely, scooching closer to where Yoochun’s hiding behind the curtain. 

“Yeah, I have as..asth...asthmi..” Jaejoong watches as Yoochun’s eyebrows scrunch up at the hard word. “It hurts to breathe sometimes, so that’s why I’m here.” 

“Oh.” Jaejoong slides of the bed, stumbling a little because the bed is higher than it looks. His head still hurts a bit, but he looks up at Yoochun. “Where are we?”

Yoochun pulls the curtain further away, revealing his frowning face and blue gown. “We’re in the hospital?”

The hospital? Jaejoong opens his mouth when a strange woman steps up behind Yoochun. “PARK YOOCHUN, DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU?!”

Yoochun bites his lip and waves sadly at Jaejoong as he’s carried away. Jaejoong’s waving back when his mother and oldest noona round the corner, both nearly dropping their drinks when they see him.

“Jaejoong-ah! You’re awake!” 

*

The doctor clears him later that day. It wasn’t the ball hitting his head that they were worried about, or the two teeth that had been knocked out, but the rock that had cut the side of his head when he hit the ground. 

Jaejoong ends up with three stitches and three times as many kisses. His noonas surround him with new toys (all soft) and hugs, asking if he has a wish they could grant for him like a real genie. 

He pouts, thinking about ice cream and other toys until he smiles. 

“Yoochunnie!” He grins, tongue sticking through the new gap in his smile. 

“Yoochunnie? What is that?” His mother asks, holding him carefully on her lap as they ride the bus back home.

“Not what! Who!” He yells, scaring a few of the other passengers. “Park Yoochun!! He’s five years old and has asthmi! It’s hard for him to breathe so I think he lives in the hospital...But he has pretty eyes and came to me when I was alone!” 

His mother and noonas cough at the alone-mention, turning away from the curious eyes of the other bus riders. 

“I didn’t realize you made a friend, Jaejoong-ah...But I don’t think you’ll be able to see him again. I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“But...his birthday is soon…” Jaejoong didn’t even know when Yoochun’s birthday is, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be there. Not being there would be a Bad Thing and tears start falling from Jaejoong’s eyes. “I want to go back to the hospital!! I want to go back now!”

As his mother tries to calm him, his noonas all promise not to ever play volleyball around Jaejoong again. All the better to avoid awkward bus rides like this.

*

Much to their regret, Jaejoong only becomes that much _more_ interested in volleyball.

*

Jaejoong, in his six-year old mind, has it all figured it.

Volleyball means pain. 

Pain means hospital.

Hospital means Yoochun.

*

Jaejoong spends the next few years practicing with his noonas, learning how to properly hold his arms for a receive, how to use his fingertips to set, how to relax his hand when his noonas lift him up to spike over the net.

However, he only gets hurt once, breaking a finger and spraining his wrist at age eight when he learns how to aim his overhead toss. Sooyoung, his eldest noona, tells him that he has the potential to be a great setter. And it’s because of that he gets excited and sets to her and Minah, his second eldest noona, to help them prepare for their yearly tournament.

Jaejoong spends his down time in the hospital peering around corners and asking if the nurses know a boy named Park Yoochun. They all tell him no with a pat to his head or shoulder. 

All too fast, his fingers and wrist are nicely taped and secured. His mother’s leading him out of the hospital with promises of ice cream, but all Jaejoong seems to want is birthday cake. 

Even if it’s the middle of October. 

*

A year later, when Jaejoong’s injuries are healed and he’s learned how to properly tape his fingers, a new family moves in next door. 

“They have a son just your age, Jaejoong-ah~” His mother says, shoving a huge package of toilet paper with a red bow on top at him. “Go say hello. Make a new friend so you can stop annoying your noonas. They have tests to study for and no time to play volleyball.”

So Jaejoong ambles over to the house, barely able to see over the package of toilet paper and ring the doorbell. He hears the shuffle of footsteps and sees the door open, but then nothing else.

“Um, hello?” he says, shifting his arms to peer at the top of someone’s head. “I’m Kim Jaejoong from next door, my mother said to give this to you and say hi…” 

“H-hi…” A quiet voice replies and suddenly small hands cover his to take the package. With the package gone, Jaejoong stares at the boy in front of him, taking in his warm-looking sweater and chubby cheeks. He’s a little bit taller than Jaejoong himself, but not by much.

“My mom said we’re the same age. I’m nine years old, but I’ll be ten in a few months! What’s your name?” Jaejoong asks, breaking the silence again. 

“Um…,” The boy says, looking down a little shy. “My name’s Park Yoochun...I turned nine in June.” 

Jaejoong just stands there in shock. “Park Yoochun? Your name is Park Yoochun?!”

“Yes…”

“Are Park Yoochun with asthmi?!”

Yoochun tilts his head, eyebrows scrunching. “I don’t know what asthmi is, but I have asthma if that’s what you mean-”

“YOOCHUNNIE!!!”

Jaejoong tackles him, making Yoochun start to panic and cry for his inhaler.

*

An hour later, Jaejoong explains to Yoochun’s mother and his own mother through his tears that he’d been looking for Yoochun since they met at the hospital. That he didn’t mean to hurt or scare him, he just wanted to see his friend again. 

The tears make both mothers sigh, and Mrs. Park leads a shaken Yoochun back outside to Jaejoong.

“Yoochun-ah, say hello to your new hyung. You’re both in the 4th grade but he is older than you.”

Jaejoong sniffs and looks up at Yoochun. His face is all red and he still looks scared of Jaejoong. 

“Hi...Jaejoong hyung.” He says, not looking at Jaejoong at all.

“Hi Yoochun...nie…”

Mrs. Kim shakes her head and grabs Mrs. Park’s hand. 

“How about I make you some tea?” She offers, tilting her head at the boys. “Maybe they need some time…”

The mothers head inside and the two boys continue standing there.

Jaejoong rocks back and forth on his feet, tucking his chin into his scarf. He finally looks away from Yoochun, searching for something to talk about, when he spots his hand-me-down volleyball. It wasn’t as nice as the one his noona’s practiced with and a little flat, but it was still good to play with.

“Um, do you play volleyball?” Jaejoong asks the sky. 

“Volleyball?”

He looks down to see Yoochun staring at him and then turning away when they made eye contact.

“Yeah, volleyball. My noonas are really good at playing and have taught me a few things too.” Jaejoong quickly grabs the ball and brings it over, spinning it in his hands. 

“Would you like to play? You don’t have to run much and I could teach you what I know...”

He holds the ball out to Yoochun, almost like a peace offering.

Yoochun stares at it, glancing up at Jaejoong once with a bite to his bottom lip before grabbing it.

“Okay.”

*

**Four Years Later**

“Oy, Yoochunnie!! We’re going to be late for morning practice!!”

Yoochun stumbles out of his house, glasses and hair askew, eyes barely open.

“I’m here, hyung- I’m-” He yawns, leaning onto Jaejoong’s shoulder. 

But Jaejoong nudges him of. “Come on, sleepy head. Climb on my bike and try not to fall asleep this time.”

They both get on Jaejoong’s bike, riding through their quiet neighborhood. Jaejoong’s thinking about their upcoming tournament, their first big tournament for middle school, when Yoochun interrupts his thoughts.

“Hey, when we’re done practice after school, can we talk?”

“We can talk now?” Jaejoong answers, glancing back and almost losing his balance on the pedals. 

“Later...if that’s fine.” Yoochun mumbles, leaning his head on Jaejoong’s back. 

Over the years, Jaejoong’s learned to read Yoochun’s moods the best he can, so he shrugs, steering them around a few cars. 

“Alright then. We can get ddeokbokki or ramyun or something after practice. Sound good?”

“Yeah…it does. Thanks, hyung.”

*

They end up at a convenience store after practice, huddled in a corner with cup ramyun to fight the cold. 

“So, what did you want to talk about? Also, your glasses are fogged up.” 

Yoochun stares at his styrofoam cup of ramyun unmoving, despite the condensation growing on his glasses. 

Jaejoong pokes his shoulder.

“Yah, Yoochunnie, what’s up with you today?”

It’s then that Jaejoong sees the tears on Yoochun’s cheeks. The last and only time he’s seen Yoochun cry was back when he moved in next to Jaejoong. 

 

“Hyung- Hyung, I’m moving to the USA. I’m moving to the USA next month.”


End file.
